Early Rehabilitation of Children in Different Age Groups after Correction of Non-Cyanotic Congenital Heart Defects

Objective: The aim of our study was to present and evaluate the duration of an early rehabilitation program and time for the beginning of such a program in a group of children with corrected non-cyanotic congenital heart defects (CHDs), as well to evaluate the proportion of implementation of each technique from the early rehabilitation program. Material and Methods: We evaluated 274 children with: ventricular septal defect (VSD), atrial septal defect (ASD), and persistent ductus arteriosus (DAP). Patients were classified into 3 groups due to age: group of children younger than 1 year of life, group of children between first and third year of life, and group of children between third and seventh year of life. Three types of early rehabilitation techniques were assessed: kinesitherapy, percussion drainage, and verticalization. Results: Kinesitherapy and percussion drainage were administered in every child with VSD or ASD, while for children with DAP, percussion drainage was not administered in 1 patient. Duration of the early rehabilitation program for children with corrected VSD was between 5-7 days, between 4-6 days for children with corrected ASD, and between 3-6 days for patients with corrected DAP. Conclusion: Early rehabilitation should start within the first 2 days after defect correction. Duration of the early rehabilitation program in children with corrected non-cyanotic CHD is more dependent on the type of CHD than on the age of participants. The same applies for the estimation of the period for the beginning of this program.